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HATC SAMPLE EDITION:
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9th July, 2026
IKEA staff prepare for first-ever warning strike
Employees at all three IKEA stores in Hungary are preparing to hold a warning strike in the next few days as wage negotiations between the company and the trade union failed, according to Zoltán Karsai, president of the retail workers’ union KASZ.
Such an outcome would be unprecedented for IKEA in Hungary, where the company has operated since 1990 without any work stoppage at its Budaörs or Budapest stores.
Tensions have risen since the beginning of 2026 after IKEA initially indicated that no pay rise would be granted during the year, later saying that any increase would be considered at a later date.
Employees were also dissatisfied with the contrast between the lack of a general wage increase and the company’s communication about record 2025 revenues.
The union’s membership has grown from around 30 to nearly 200 during the dispute, strengthening its negotiating position.
Although IKEA introduced a performance-based, differentiated pay adjustment in April, the union said this failed to significantly improve the financial position of most employees and called for a uniform 6% basic wage increase.
IKEA has rejected any further wage increase before the end of its financial year on August 31.
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Sources regularly consulted, with abbreviations used in text: Népszabadság (N); Magyar Hírlap (MH); Világgazdaság (VG); Napi Gazdaság (NG); Magyar Nemzet (MN); Népszava (Nsz); Kossuth Rádió news (KR); nightly TV news (TV).
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